Official Ford performance packs make the Ford Mustang more powerful

Both the Ford Mustang 2.3-litre Ecoboost and Mustang V8 can now be made to go faster with official tuning kits, but sadly they are for US customers only.

When fitted to the 2.3-litre Ecoboost, the Mustang enjoys a total output of 335bhp – an increase of 25bhp on the non-tuned car. Meanwhile torque gets an even healthier increase of 70lb/ft, meaning there is 390lb/ft (528Nm) on tap.

The basic figures only tell part of the tuning upgrade’s story. An extra 100bhp, for instance, comes in at 6,0000rpm so it kicks harder earlier. Between 2,500 and 5,000rpm, the average increase is said to be 40bhp and 60lb/ft.

As for the V8 Mustang, well that gets an increase of 13bhp and 16ft/lb of torque if you go for the most modest upgrade, but up to an extra 37bhp is available complete with an extra 51lb/ft of torque if you dig deeper.

That means you are still shy of 500hp in the V8, but then it was a bloody quick car in the first place so we can forgive the lack of a nice round number. Expect the 0-62mph time of 4.8 seconds to drop and that matters more, right?

As for the price, the top of the pile V8 upgrade kit (complete with a few parts from the GT350 variant not yet offered in the UK) costs US$2,395, which is £1,946 once you factor in the currently weak pound. The least modest upgrade costs US$599 (£487).

With the kits only offered to US customers at the time of writing, it seems UK owners will have to wait for Ford to bring it over here or for Mountune to offer an official alternative that keeps the Ford vehicle warranty intact.

Sales of the new Mustang are said to be underperforming in the US, according to reports, but in Europe it seems V8-deprived Brits are loving them – and the split between models is 40 per cent Ecoboost and 60 per cent V8, with the former catching up. Polar bears, rejoice.